Cloth-cutting machine.



No. 805,104. C PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905. N. I. & D. D. TBFFT. CLOTH CUTTING MACHINE. APPLIoATIoN FILED MAR.11, 1905.

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NELSON I. TEFFT AND DEWEY D. TEFFT, OF PERRY, NEW YORK.

CLOTH-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application iiled March ll, 1905. Serial No. 249,673.

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, NELSON I. TEEET and DEWEY D. TEEET, residing at Perry, in the county of Wyoming and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Cloth-Outting Machine, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention seeks to provide an improved means for cutting cloth in predetermined lengths from a roll or bolt in a convenient, quick, and accurate manner, and by which a large quantity of layers of cloth can be cut at one time and the said cloth cut in uniform lengths by measuring the cloth lengths on the cuttings previously made, and in which the cloth pieces can be progressively built up in a column or mass in uniform layers and the cutting means readily adjusted to suit the differential heights at which the different layers of cloth are held to be cut.

Vith the above and other objects in View our invention comprehends generally a suitable supporting-table, over which the cloth to be cut into lengths is drawn` a shearing means vertically movable above the table and disposed transversely thereof, mechanism for elevating the said shearing means to bring the cutting members in proper position to sever the cloth at diiierent horizontal planes with respect to the bed of the table, and a second means for releasing the shearing-devices-elevating mechanism, whereby to allow the said shearing devices to drop back to their initial or lowermost position by gravity.

ln its more complete nature our invention embodies a suitable transversely-slotted table, a cloth-holder mounted thereon, a frame vertically adjustable through the slot in the table, a fiXedly-held cutter-blade and a movable cutter-blade mounted on the said frame, a foot-operated rack-and-pawl mechanism for actuating the said frame and a means for moving said rack-and-pawl mechanism out of an operative engagement with the verticallymovable cutter-carrying frame.

ln its more subordinate features our invention consists in certain details of construction and peculiar combination of parts, all of which will be hereinafter fully explained, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved construction of cloth-cutting machine.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the iiXed and movable cutter members and the frame on which they are mounted. v Fig. 5 is a de# tail cross-section taken through the hinged end of the movable cutter. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of one side oi' the machine, taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

1n the practical application of our invention the same comprises a suitable supporting means in the nature of a table-bed A, mounted on the four corner-legs a and including a forwardly-extending section a, separated from the main table top or bed, whereby to form a cross-slot co2, the purpose of which will presently appear, and held in the same horizontal plane with the main table-bed by the brackets a3 on the front legs o and a supplemental leg cf, and upon the forward end of the said table-section a is mounted a bracket a, having bearings to receive the spindles b ot' the roller upon which the cloth is wound, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 3.

C designates the cutter-frame formed in a substantial VI shape, which comprises a cross member c and a pair of bars c c', pendently secured to the opposite ends of the cross member c and which have their inner faces provided with rack bars or surfaces c2 c2, arranged to cooperate with rack-actuating' devices presently fully explained. The pendent bars c c are held to slide vertically in grooves la l, formed in the front legs a a, and the frame C is movable up through the slot t2 in the'table-bed, whereby the upper end or cross member c can be elevated above the table-bed to the distances desired to suit the thickness of the cloth pieces to be cut or the heights at which the cloth may be held in position to be secured.

On the upper or cross member c is iixedly held, but adjustably secured, the stationary cutter-blade D, having the usual shear-edge construction and with which coperates the movable or severing blade D', which is adjustably mounted on a cutter-head bed D2, ot' a length equal that of the cross member c of the frame C, havinga handhold Z2 at the outer end and havingits inner end hinged in a bifurcated bracket E, mounted on one end of the cross-bar c, and which has a pair of opposing bearing-lugs e e, that engage corresponding bearing-sockets in the inner end of the head-bar D2 to provide for taking up wearrand effecting a rm pivotal bearing for the cutter-head D2, and to normally hold the IOO cutter D and its carrying-head D normally to an elevated position to permit of freely drawing the cloth between the opposing cutters the inner or pivotal end of the head D has a counterbalance-weight D3, which serves to swing and hold the upper blade and the member D to their elevated position, as shown in the drawings.

F designates a ratchetactuating shaft mounted transversely of the machine adjacent the cutter-carrying frame and supported in an adjustable frame composed of the oppositely-disposed upper and lower horizontal beams H, the ends of which are slidably held in bearings n n on the front and rear legs a t of the main framing, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 6, 'and connected with each other near the rear end by the cross-bar it. rIhe crossbar /1/ serves to engage the lever N, as shown.

N designates a lever-arm hinged at its lower end to a cross member a of the main frame to swing lengthwise of the frame and pivotally connected at the upper end to a handlever I, located under the table-top, pivoted at one end to the said table-top, as at c', and having its-free end lextended beyond the front edge of the table to form a handle 2. i The shaft F, which is journaled in thelower set of bars H H, carries at each end a pinion J J, adapted to mesh with the rack members of the frame C, and it also at one end has fixedly connected therewith a ratchet-disk K, with which coacts a Vpawl Z on a lever L, loosely mounted on the shaft F, pulled back to its normal position by a coiled spring M, secured to the under side of the table.

T indicates a foot-lever, which connects with the outer end of thelever L, and G designates a segment secured to the frame H, which has a series of apertures with which adjustably engages a stop-pin g to limit the down thrust of the lever L.

Q designates buffer-springs in the lower end of the grooves in which the rack members of the frame C slide for taking up the shock when the frame C drops by gravity.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawings, it is believed the manner in which our invention is capable of being operated and its advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

By referring more particularly to Fig. l it will be noticed the cloth as it is unrolled is carried over the slot in the table and back on the table to the distance desired, and when thus set the operator by pulling down the upper or hinged cutter causes-.the cloth to be quickly severed the desired length. Should it be desired to cut a number of layers of cloth at one time, that is accomplished by folding the cloth between the knives and pulling down the upper bknife as before. When it is desired to cut the cloth into a number of kpieces of the same length and to stack the same, after the Erst length has been cut the operator measures the succeeding lengths by the length first cut, and as the diiferent pieces v erator grasps the lever L, moves it in the direction indicated by the arrow l0 on Fig. 1, which pulls the frame H in the direction indicated by the arrow l1() on Fig. 3, and thus disengages vthe pawl-and-ratchet mechanism from the racks and frame C. To bring the frame H and the lever L back to their normal position to again engage the racks in frame C, spiral springs h5 are located in sock-' ets on the inner edges n of the rear legs a, as clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 6.

Our invention by reason of its simple arrangement of parts can be conveniently operated by unskilled labor and serves to cut the cloth properly in an expeditious manner, especially for stacking the severed pieces of uniform lengths without the additional handling after the cloth has been drawn out to the lengths desired. Changes in the details of construction and modification thereof may be made without departing from the general principle of our invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cutting-machine of the character described, a cutting mechanism composed of 'a lower stationary knife and an upper movable knife, a support for said knives having vertical movement,l and adapted to automatically lower, and a means for successively elevating the framev and holding it to its vertically-adjusted positions, as set forth.

2. In a cutting-machine of the character described, a table, a cutting mechanism including a pair of shearing-knives, disposed transversely of the table, a ratchet-and-pawl mechanism for elevating said cutting mechanism as a whole, with respect to the table, said ratchetand-pawl mechanism being ad justably mounted whereby to become disengaged from the cutting mechanism when shifted, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the table and the cutter-carrying frame disposed transversely of the table and having vertical movement with respect to the table, said frame including a pair of pendent rack-bars; of the horizontally- -movable ratchet-and-pawl mechanism mounted at one end thereof to coact with the aforesaid pendent rack-bars, a foot-operated lever for actuating the ratchet-and-pawl devices,

IIO

means for automatically shifting the horizontally-movable frame in one direction and handactuated means for shifting it in a reverse direction.

4E. A cutting-machine for the purposes described, comprising in combination a supporting-table, a cuttingl mechanism which includes a fixedly-held bottom knife and an upper knife hinged to the lower knife at one end and normally held to its open position, a means for raising the two knives in unison with respect to the table-top, and a trip device for releasing said means from engagement With the cutting mechanism as set forth. v

5. The combination with the table the shaped frame disposed transversely thereof and having its pendent members formed with rack-faces, said l |-shaped members having vertical movement on the table-frame, a bottom knife fixedly secured to the cross-bar of the I l-shaped frame, an upper knife hinged to the said cross-bar, the frame H horizontally mounted under the table and having endwise movement, the shaft mounted in the front end of the frame H having pinions for engaging the rack portions of the l-I-shaped frame, a ratchet iixedly mounted on the shaft, a paWlcarrying lever loosely mounted on the shaft, a foot-actuating device for the paWl-lever, and a hand-lever mechanism for shifting the frame to disengage the pinions on the shaft from the rack portions of the i-shaped frame as set forth.

NELSON I. TEFFT. DEWEY D. TEFFT. Witnesses:

C. C. HOLLISTER, JAS. J. DADD. 

